22 Top Products at CES 2010: Chevrolet Volt OnStar Mobile App

There are thousands of new gadgets on display in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Some will never hit stores, while others may reach millions of homes and change our daily routines. We waded through the clutter of the show's halls and picked our favorite products, and the ones that we think will make a difference this year.

The Volt might be the most anticipated electric vehicle in the industry, but for a large number of consumers, it's still a little mystifying. How long does it take to charge? When are you burning gas, and when are you running full-electric? The Chevy Volt OnStar Mobile App, a free app available right now for iPhones, Blackberries and the Droid, is a kind of cram session for potential EV owners. It's also a showcase for the OnStar telematics system, demonstrating that you can not only control when and how the Volt charges from your phone, you can also remote start the car, preconditioning the cabin to save even more battery power. The Volt can also talk back to you, e-mailing you when the charging cord is suddenly unplugged. The OnStar app is a brilliant marketing tool, but more than that, it's a smart way to educate the public about just how cool EVs can be.